Al Schmitt

2021, Tribute

As far as we know, Al Schmitt was not born in a recording studio, but he was certainly raised in one. At 8 years old, he was riding the subway into Manhattan to visit the studio where his uncle Harry was mixing sessions for the likes of Bing Crosby, The Andrews Sisters and Les Paul. At age 19, he would end up engineering a Duke Ellington orchestra session when his boss was unavailable. Soon after in 1958, he moved to L.A. where, for the next sixty years or so, he would become the most decorated engineer in music history, earning more than 150 gold and platinum albums and winning twenty Grammy Awards.

Taylor Hawkins

2022, Tribute

Taylor Hawkins was an American musician, best known as the drummer of the rock band Foo Fighters, with whom he recorded eight studio albums. Before joining the band in 1997, he was the touring drummer for both Sass Jordan and for Alanis Morissette. Hawkins was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 as a member of Foo Fighters. He was voted “Best Rock Drummer” in 2005 by the British drumming magazine Rhythm. Taylor Hawkins died at the age of 50 on March 25, 2022.

Naomi Judd

2022, Tribute

Naomi Judd was an American singer and actress. In 1980, she and her daughter Wynonna formed the duo known as The Judds, which became a very successful country music act, winning five Grammy Awards and nine Country Music Association Awards. The Judds stopped performing in 1991. However, Wynonna continued to perform as a solo artist, and occasionally reunited with her mother for tours as The Judds. Naomi struggled with mental health issues throughout her life. She died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on April 30, 2022, the day before she and Wynonna were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Gary Peacock

2020, Tribute

Gary Peacock was an American jazz bassist. He recorded a dozen albums under his own name, and also performed and recorded with a number of major jazz figures. For over 30 years, he was a part of Keith Jarrett’s “Standards Trio” with drummer Jack DeJohnette. They recorded over 20 albums together. Gary Peacock passed away on September 4, 2020.

Alan White

2022, Tribute

Alan White was an English drummer, best known for his tenure in the progressive rock band Yes. He joined Yes in 1972 as a replacement for original drummer Bill Bruford. He appeared on 43 albums with the band, 17 of which were original studio albums. In 1969, White joined John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Plastic Ono Band. He notably played drums on the singles “Instant Karma” and “Imagine”, as well as most of Lennon’s 1971 Imagine album. In addition to his work with Yes and John Lennon, White performed on over 50 albums by other musicians, notably George Harrison, Ginger Baker’s Air Force, Joe Cocker and The Ventures.

Mario DeSantis

2020, Tribute

Mario DeSantis was a pianist and big bandleader in Syracuse, NY for over 50 years. The DeSantis Orchestra began as a nine-piece in 1947 and continues to perform under the direction of his daughter Maria to this day. Over the years, the group has grown to include a rotating roster of about 50 union musicians who perform in various types of groups – duos, trios, nine-piece, 12-piece, 18-piece – depending on the function they’re playing. Over the years, they have managed to attract some of the most talented musicians in the region who have kept the lineup at a consistently impressive caliber. Mario DeSantis will forever be remembered as a true music legend in Central New York.

Charlie Watts

2021, Tribute

To the eye, he was the least likely member of the Rolling Stones, yet to the ear, Charles Robert Watts was the living heartbeat of the world’s greatest rock ‘n roll band. A consummate drummer, he found his calling when he turned a banjo on its head. Originally a graphic artist, Watts began gigging as a student, seeking to emulate the jazz artists he idolized. When Mick, Keith and Brian Jones first recruited him, they had to pay Charlie extra as he was the band’s only working musician. Throughout the next five decades of constant touring, Watts maintained his dignified demeanor, and his reputation as a fastidious dresser, passing up the sex and drugs but never losing sight of the rock ‘n roll. He also never gave up his first love, jazz.

Gary Brooker

2022, Tribute

If they gave out an award for the least famous person responsible for the most famous song, Gary Brooker would have another claim to fame. As the writer and singer of “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” Brooker was the voice behind one of the most listened-to records of all time. But behind the scenes, he was a veritable Forrest Gump of British rock, collaborating with the likes of Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Bill Wyman, Jeff Beck and Andrew Lloyd Weber. Though he was a multi-instrumentalist who was as comfortable with a coronet or a trombone as behind a keyboard, it’s that silken voice that will have us be tripping the light fandango for all time.

Vangelis

2022, Tribute

Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou, known professionally as Vangelis, was a Greek musician, composer, songwriter and producer of electronic, progressive, ambient and classical orchestral music. He was best known for his Academy Award-winning score to Chariots of Fire, as well as for composing scores to the films Blade Runner, Missing, Antarctica, The Bounty and Alexander. Having had a career in music spanning over 50 years and having composed and performed more than 50 albums, Vangelis is considered to be one of the most important figures in the history of electronic music, and modern film music.